Sunday Dinner: Herb Baked Portabellas

Sundays off are a rare treat for me. I either like to do something elaborate for dinner or go way simple. This weekend with all the running around I opted for real simple. One of our favorite easy meals are herb baked portabella mushroom caps. All we do is take a few medium to large portabella mushroom caps



Brush them with olive oil and top with herbs (this week we did basil, oregano, and the obligatory garlic)




Add cheese to the top (usually feta but mozzarella or Swiss works well too)and bake at 425 for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Your Ad Here

Home und Garten

To cap off a very busy weekend in Columbus (Hippies, Homos, and Geeks otherwise known as Comm Fest, Pride, and Origins) today was the annual German Village Home und Garten tour. After touring these homes (and a few open houses) I have decided that I want a new kitchen. Chris and i are just chock full of ideas for a new home.

What would a community tour be without a Market Place? Nothing! Of course there was a little Marketplatz set up in Schiller park where I had to do some shopping. At Circa Seeds we found a cool Maypop Passion Flower Vine and (what I am really excited about) a delfino cilantro that has more fern like leaves and is supposed to go to seed much slower than it's typical counterpart. Seeing as how my cilantro already bolted before I had a chance to do anything with it I am very excited to give this variety a shot. Has anyone worked with this type of cilantro before? Any hints or tips?

Your Ad Here

Weekend Recipe Roundup

Grilled Corn Salad from Simply Recipes
Potato and Onion Frittata over at the Vegetarian Times
Blackberry Limeade from 101 Cookbooks
Ridiculously Easy Pineapple Sorbet from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

I'm always looking for great new (preferably vegetarian) recipes so if you know of a good one leave a comment with the link. . .

Your Ad Here

New Blog and Bundt Mystery Solved

I found a new blog to read. . .Prudence Pennywise. She commented on my eggplant lament (thanks for the tip Prudence!) and I love the theme to her blog which is scandalously good food on a budget. That is one area where I just can't stick to a budget. I like to go crazy when I find a new recipe and blow $20-$30 on a new recipe (and pray that it turns out well). I have you subscribed in my RSS reader and I'm looking forward to some good shopping and cooking tips.

As for the bundt cake, I figured out the mystery of the uneven cooking all by myself. It occurred to me as I was washing the bundt pan that the hole in the middle is to allow the hot air to penetrate the middle of the cake. This is kind of prohibited if you do a mo-tard move like me and put the bundt pan on a baking tray in the oven. Don't ask me why I did this. I have no idea but it seemed logical at the time. Ah well, you live and you learn. . .at least the cake still tastes great!

Your Ad Here

Barefoot Blogging

Today is the day we post our "success" with Ina's chicken Parmesan. Oh if only I could report success with attempting to make this a vegetarian dish. I will say this, the lemon vinaigrette turned out rather well but the rest of it went to hell in a hand basket. First off I think I cut my eggplant (which I was substituting for chicken) way too thin and I did not dry it well enough because the end result was just a soggy, groggy, mess. The texture of it sort of made me want to gag a little bit too which was too bad because I was looking forward to this recipe. Does anybody know a good, solid way of making eggplant Parmesan? The few times I have tried it it just turned out horrible but I have had it at restaurants and really enjoyed it.

Your Ad Here

Raspberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

Chris and I both love raspberries and we both love cake so when I saw raspberries on sale yesterday I thought about a great raspberry yogurt cake that I had seen in Bon Appetit. I am not a baker, in fact this is the first non microwave cake I have ever baked and I think it turned out pretty darn good. It was easy (except for the fact we don't have an electric mixer and had to beat the sugar and butter by hand) and relatively quick.

The yogurt leaves the cake nice and moist and the almond extract gives the cake a nice yummy flavor without there actually being in the cake (Chris hates nuts in cake and bread so I try to keep that in mind and I usually remember). When I make it again I think I'm going to add more raspberries. The tartosity (I know it isn't a word yet but it will be. How do you think new words come into being? Somebody had to make it up) of the berries really contrasts well with the sweetness of the cake.

The only real problem I think I may have is why isn't the cake a uniform color? Is it supposed to be a uniform color? The outside is a nice golden brown but the inside is a pale gold? Is that how bundt cakes are supposed to be? Is there something I can do different to bake it more even?

Your Ad Here

Mediterranean Tofu and Mushroom Scramble

I was very iffy at first about the idea of making a tofu scramble. I definitely had my doubts how it would taste and I definitely doubted that it would cook up like scrambled eggs. . .especially after running the tofu through the blender. Wow, was I glad to be proven wrong. The original recipe only called for sauteing button mushrooms but I didn't think that would be enough flavor. Tofu is this wonderful blank palette that you can add flavor to. That is why I add the porcini mushrooms and the herbs to give it a little more Italian flair.

Ingredients:
1 pound firm tofu cut into chunks
2 Tbs neutral oil
1/2 cup trimmed and sliced mushrooms (I used portabella)
A few dried porcini mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs oregano chopped
2 Tbs chopped basil

Directions:
Soak the porcini mushrooms for about 20 minutes in boiling water. Drain and reserve about 1 tsp of the soaking water.



Put the tofu and the water from the mushrooms in a blender and let it run for a few minutes until the tofu is smooth then season with a bit of salt and pepper



Add the oil to a skillet and over medium heat cook the mushrooms (porcini and portabella) until they start to brown




Stir in the tofu and oregano and cook about 5-7 minutes (or as dry as you like it). Just before finishing it stir in the basil and cook another 30 seconds or so.


I at mine with ketchup just like it was eggs (I know, I am horribly mid western) and served some hash browns on the side.

Your Ad Here

Vegetable Fritters

Tonight for dinner I made some yummy vegetable fritters. They are very much like latkes just made with vegetables instead of with potatoes. The basic recipe came from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman (this is the ultimate vegetarian cookbook. You really don't need any other cookbook than this one) with a few modifications of my own. For instance, Chris hates onions so instead of grating 1/2 an onion into the mix I used 4 minced garlic cloves.

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini (peeled and grated)
1 decent sized parsnip (peeled and grated)
4 garlic cloves minced
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
2% milk as needed (less than 1/4 of a cup)
Butter/olive oil/peanut oil

Mix the grated zucchini, parsnip, garlic, egg, cheese and flour together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and add enough milk so that the mixture just plops off of a spoon.

Heat oil or melt butter in a large pan or skillet or griddle and when hot (or the butter is melted) form pancakes (shaping with a fork) of the mixture.



Cook each side until golden brown (about 8 minutes a side) on medium heat so that the veggies brown up and cook through.


I served these with light ranch dressing because I ran out of time to make a yogurt sauce (that and I forgot to buy yogurt at the store. . .DOH!)

Your Ad Here

Mission 3: The Egg

I am still hard at work practicing the art of shaping vegetables but I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time worrying over it. I'm going to move on to the next part of my self instruction. . .the incredible edible egg.

Every cooking competition I watch stresses the same point. The way to tell a good cook is to have them cook eggs. If they can cook eggs right then they get extra points and it isn't a good time when the eggs come out wrong. Sad to say but the only eggs I have ever made have been scrambled eggs and I usually over cook them to the point just before they get rubbery. I don't think I have even ever boiled an egg before. I think this situation needs to be rectified with some practice with this staple food.

Your Ad Here

Weekend Recipe Roundup

Zucchini Muffins and Mexican Green Bean Salad from Simply Recipes
Chocolate and Espresso Brownies from Herbivoracious
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup and Banana Chip Cookies over at 101 Cookbooks
Polenta with Asparagus from Herbivoracious (again)

Your Ad Here

Comfort Food

Chris and I are both under the weather with crappy summer colds. Summer colds suck. At least in the winter I don't really want to go out and about but in the summer I want to be out and doing stuff and a cold makes it just plain sucky. Tonight we had one of my favorite comfort foods. . .grilled cheese with pickles. I don't know when I started eating pickles with my grilled cheese but now I can't even eat a grilled cheese without pickles. They just taste incomplete without them. I love the salty, briny tang with the smooth cheesey goodness. I do miss having bacon on my grilled cheeses though. That is one downside to living in a vegetarian house, no bacon.

Your Ad Here

Bring On the Heinz Mayo

This commercial made me chuckle. Something about the posh English accents and the New York "mom".

Your Ad Here

Herb Snips

I have to tell you that I love my new herb snips. I grow a ton of herbs (well, a ton for living in an urban environment anyway) and these Silvermark Stainless Steel Herb Snips are awesome. Up until I got these I was just using regular scissors to trim my herbs but these are so much better for two reasons. The first is that the come apart easily for cleaning (you know how much gunk gets caught in the cracks when you are going to town clipping herbs) and the second, and most important, reason are the V grooves near the handle that you use to strip the leaves off of rosemary and thyme sprigs. I freaking love that feature! I realize that I could just strip the leaves off with my fingers but this just seems easier with the snips. This purchase was a much better way to spend $10 than the garlic zoom was.

Your Ad Here

Pommes Rissoles

One of the things I am doing with my practice potatoes (you remember, the ones I can't cut worth a crap into a barrel shape) is to make pommes rissoles. I like to think of them as fancy French fries (or Freedom fries if you are still a hardcore Bush patriot. . .but then why would you be reading my blog if you were?). As you can tell I kind of gave up on the whole proper shaping thing. Really, how many freaking potatoes do you think I can cut in one sitting. I don't have a very long attention span. Anyway, what I like about the recipe is that you actually finish off the potatoes when you need them.
Step 1: layer potatoes in a single layer at the bottom of a large pot and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove promptly from heat and drain
Step2: Fry up the potato chunks in butter in a large frying pan (so they all sit in a single layer) tossing often until lightly golden brown
Step3: Right before serving bake them at 425 degrees until a knife goes cleanly and effortlessly to the center of the potatoes (about 10-12 minutes).

See, fancy French fries. I put a few sprigs of fresh thyme on the potatoes during the final step just to a little more flavor. So at least all my practice potatoes did not go to waste

Your Ad Here

Mission 1: Shaping Vegetables (Tournage)

I had every intention of having a fabulous post today where I wowed you with my ability to cut perfectly shaped vegetables. Well, I have a post and I did shape some vegetables (and potatoes) but they bear very little resemblance to the delicate barrel shape of properly cut vegetables (something like this). Mine, instead, bear a resemblance to, well, badly cut vegetables and potatoes. It wasn't through lack of trying though.

The idea is to take a tubular vegetable and cut it into two inch chunks. From there you are supposed to take a paring knife and cut a ( shape to have a nice 7 sided barrel shaped vegetable. This is supposed to enhance presentation and create even sized food for even cooking.

Towards the end I did manage to get something sort of resembling a barrel. . .a massively lopsided barrel but still a barrel. I think a big part of my problem is that I have this fear of my paring knife. As I am cutting a slightly bowed shape out of a chunk of carrot I envision the paring knife sliding out of the carrot and just whacking off a huge chunk of my thumb. I did manage to get over most of that fear and attempted to shape potatoes without losing any tips of fingers. My practice potatoes I am using to make pommes rissoles. . .or fancy French fries as I like to think of them.

Your Ad Here

The Next Food Network Star

Ah, Goodbye Jeffery!
I'm sorry, but when I think of soul food I think the person cooking it should have some soul and Jeffery did not. That isn't a bad thing, just a true thing. He should have stuck to classical types of food and he would have been much better off. I don't think he would have won it because he has no television presence but he could have gone further.
I really wanted to hate Lisa. I really, really did but I can't hate her. There is just something about that Vulcan woman that makes me not hate her despite the fact that she almost wet her panties when Martha Stewart came out. Is anyone surprised that Martha is an inspiration to her? I think what makes me want to hate her is that damn Vulcan hairdo. If she just styles her hair differently I think she would have a much better chance.
So did Nipa just phone in that sweet and spicy spice or what? Hello! I can mix sugar and cayenne at home and not have to pay extra for it. Would it have been that hard for her to mix up her own curry powder or some exotic Indian combo that would have had the buyers drooling?
I'm gonna have to go out on a limb and say the final three will be Adam, Lisa and Aaron. Kelsey has a chance if Aaron can't his presentation skills honed (and if she tones down the whole cheerleader rah-rah thing she has going on). I'm really glad Adam rocked the food today because he does have good television presence.

Your Ad Here

Weekend Recipe Roundup

Chocolate Mint Cookies at Chef Tom Cooks
Vegan Carmel Flan at Veg Cooking Blog
Rhubarb Grapefruit Salad at My Husband Cooks
Sauteed Zucchini with Gruyere at Simply Recipes (I can't wait to try this one. . .it looks and sounds AMAZING!)
Rosemary Lemon Rhubarb Spritzers at Simply Recipes
White Asparagus Soup with Vanilla at delicious:days

Your Ad Here

Outside Grilling

A few weeks ago Chris and I bought a little charcoal grill for outside. We didn't need anything big or fancy since we eat pretty much eat vegetarian (he is a total vegetarian and just eat that way at home, it is always easier to just cook one meal instead of two). This week I thought "Hey! I think I'll make veggie kebabs for dinner that'll be great!"

You see the pic there of the veggies grilling up and it looks like it would be really good doesn't it? Well, it wasn't. I have realized that I do not know how to grill. I think I must be way too impatient to be a good griller. First off I did not start the charcoal soon enough and I put way too much lighter fluid on it. Those coals went up like a mini blazing sun but then only the edges remained lit. I waited, oh, about 15 minutes before plopping my marinated veggies on the grill which turned out to not be a good idea since there was still not an even heat. Half the veggies burned, half the veggies stayed kinda raw.

Really, the only thing I accomplished with this grilling mission was smoking out all the neighbors as chunks of oil marinated vegetables feel onto the coals. I also learned that before making veggie kebabs I need to blanch my vegetables. I did, surprisingly enough, think far enough head to boil my potatoes before putting them on the grill so those cooked up nicely. The tofu ended up being bland, the eggplant and zucchini might as well have been raw (or the few pieces that were actually over heat were practically ash), the onion just curled in a crazy mess, but the mushrooms did come out tasting pretty good.

Bobby Flay would be so disappointed in me.

Your Ad Here

Congratulations Stephanie

Woo-Hoo! Praise the tiny Lord Baby Jesus I can watch the next season of Top Chef! Not only did Lisa lose but Stephanie Izard won! Don't get me wrong, I would have been perfectly happy if Richard won (he is an amazing cook with great ideas) but Stephanie really won it for me with her humility. Every time she won a challenge she was genuinely thankful for the win and she never got cocky (well, at least not that we ever saw). Way to go Stephanie and I hope to see great things from you.

Your Ad Here